Psalm 137:5-6
"If I forget you, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget its skill! If I do not
remember you, Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth -- If I do not exalt
Jerusalem Above my chief joy."

The Events Surrounding the
Destruction of Jerusalem

"And I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it
and turning it upside down" (2 Kings 21:13)

The Destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC.

Revival came during the reign of Hezekiah but it was immediately swept aside by
his son Manasseh, who was Judah's most wicked and longest ruling king. The
nation never fully recovered from the effects of this evil king. Manasseh's son
Amon continued in his father's depravity, but he soon was murdered. His
successor Josiah (about 640-609 B.C.) restored traditional covenant religion,
which was based on the Book of the Law newly discovered in a Temple storeroom (2
Chr. 34:14). Many did not follow Josiah's example, however, and the prophet
Zephaniah foretold disaster for the nation. By 610 B.C. the Assyrian Empire had
collapsed under Babylonian attacks, and Babylon prepared to march against Egypt,
which had been helping the Assyrians. Against Jeremiah's advice, Josiah
intervened and was killed at Megiddo.

After Josiah there
was no hope for Judah, the last 3 kings were all evil. The Babylonians swept
down upon Jerusalem in 597 B.C. and captured it. A second attack led to
Jerusalem's second defeat in 586 B.C. Captives from both campaigns were taken to
Babylonia to mark the captivity of the Southern Kingdom.